Spiral binder



Malrch 21, 1950 s. w. DOW

SPIRAL BINDER Filed on. 26, 1945 INVENTOR.

Jam/v51? WDo w Z E v Q Patented Mar. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE SPIRAL BINDER Sumner W. Dow, Boston, Mass. Application October 26, 194.5, 2Serial .No. 624,705

4 Claims.

This invention relates to .a spiral binder and morespecifically to ameans for securely locking the spiral element to a backing.

.Oneprime aim is to provide .means on a backing to interfit between convolutions of the spiral element which mounts the leaves, .and with which means a key so interfits "that it is immovable .lengthwise of the backing in either direction.

A second object is to .provide a key adapted to be passed through loops on a backing and which key has lugs to abut the loops to prevent withdrawal of the keyso that the latter will maintain a spiral element in ,place on the backing to better and more securely mount the book leaves.

Another object is .to .provide such a key which may be used at the .ends of a'book to form stops for the leaves.

The more specific objects and advantages will in part be pointed out hereinafter and otherwise become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment byway of example.

'In said drawings:

Figure .lfis a vertical section taken flatwise of a book embodying the invention;

Figurez is an elevation of the binder-mounting plate which may form part of the book'backing, one of the keys being in place .and the other detached to better suggest the construction;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view at one end edge of the book;

F ure 4 is across section taken on the plane of .line 44 .of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the keys.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, a book backing is designated in general by the numeral 10, carrying opposite covers II for leaves [2 which have rows of holes l3 through which the convolutions 14 of aspiral binder element I5 of metallic wire, plastic or equivalent are threaded.

As an element or part of the backing, a metallic or plastic plate I6 is secured thereto in any suitable manner. Upper and lower loops 1 1, preferably in pairs, are integral with such plate and usually struck inwardly therefrom as shown. Said loops I! extend between adjacent convolutions M to hold the spiral binder l5 against lengthwise movement. It will also'be noted that the plate I6 is arcuate in cross section for better fit with the binder.

.Slidably passed through the upper and lower pairs of L ops H, are elongated Ikeys Hi to secure portions of adjacent convolutions l4 between them and the plate 16. These keys I8 lock the spiral binder element I5 in place as they cannot be accidentally removed since they have instruck lugs 19 thereon, one engaging an outer edge of a loop L17 and the other engaging the inner edge of a loop IT. "The lugs .or tongues 19 are formed from the planar zone 18 of the key formations, these extending inwardly from the plane of the zone, and "having their free ends facing each other, the tongues being spaced apart in the length of the zone a distance at least-equal to that between the remote edges .of a pair of the loops 11, so that both loops of the pair ,positioned in an end zone of the assembly willbe located between the pair of tongues l8 when the key formation .is located in its inserted position. The tongues, being struck up from the body of the planar zone and connected to the zone only at the remote end, will temporarily yield toward the planar zone if subjected to pressure, returning to normal position when the pressure is released.

For instance, when the key formation is being inserted after the spiral binder unit, composed of the spiral element and the leaves mounted thereon, has been positioned within the cover with the rear of the convolutions of the spiral element in contact with the backing plate [6, the free pointed end of the planar zone of the key formation is passed lengthwise from the end of the assembly, the free end passing inside of the spiral convolutions and between these and the interior of the loops l'l. Since the loops are of narrow width, not greater than the distance between adjacent convolutions of the spiral element, and are spaced apart and separated by several convolutions, the advance tongue IQ, of comparatively short length, will firstbe subjected to the camming action of the loop adjacent the end, and then, after the formation traverses the intervening convolutions, will be subjected to a similar action by the second of the pair of loops. After passing through the latter, the tongue again returns to its normal condition, thus placing its end in contact with the remote edge of the second loop and forming a lock against withdrawal of the formation. Since the trailing tongue presents its end toward the near edge of the first loop, it is not subject to any camming action, but forms a stop to limit the length of the inserting movement. The two tongues thus practically anchor the key formation against longitudinal movement after the formation has been inserted.

Another characteristic of the assembly is the form of the key formation itself, and especially its body. It is formed of sheet metal stamped to form, thus beingof planar face type as to length, so far .as the outer face is concerned. Since the planar zone is of material width, the planar face when inserted within the convolucurved convolution, these contacts being effective to provide resistance to any turning movement of the spiral element about its axis when the leaves are being manipulated during service, while permitting entire freedom of leaf movement since the key formation is located opposite the leaves.

Since the loops are active to prevent longitudinal movement of the spiral element in either direction, it will be understood that, when'the spiral element and its leaves have been positioned in contact with the backing plate, thus placing the loops in position, and the two key formations are inserted in the opposite end zones of the spiral unit, the spiral element is practically anchored in such position against both longitudinal and rotational movement, these being prevented as indicated. This condition is not changed by the fact that the intermediate zone in the length of the spiral element is not physically anchored. The anchoring of the opposite end zones is of such type that service handling of the assembly with complete freedom is entirely ineffective to change the conditions within such intermediate zone of the spiral element in such manner as to affect the mounted spiral unit or of the spiral element itself.

The key formations I8 include right-angularly disposed flanges 20 at the outer ends of the planar zone, these being of disc-like type and dimensioned to overlie the inner end margins of the leaves as well as the spiral element to which the leaves are connected, thus maintaining the leaves against end-wise movement. The flanges also serve as finger pieces for the positioning of the key formations. Since the flanges thus close the end zones of the assembly, it can be understood that the flanges prevent the insertion of any manipulating tool through the ends. of the assembly for the purpose of releasing the advance tongue to permit key formation withdrawal. Hence, the assembly will normally remain intact.

However, it is possible to release the content by laying the covers in flat opened position and arranging the leaf content thereon in such manner as to expose the convolution within which the advance tongue is located. Then, by the-use of a tool inserted through the exposed convolu tion zone into contact with the tongue, by applying pressure on the latter to carry its end below the remote loop, and at the sametime drawing the flange outward, the tongue is released from such loop, providing partial withdrawal of the key-formation- The same procedure is then followed. when the withdrawal of the formation brings the. tongue into contact with the near loop, such procedure permitting the tongue to be withdrawn through both loops and releasing the formation for complete withdrawal. The complicated procedure required to produce the complete release of the spiral unit assures that the assembly cannot be released accidentally.

Various changes may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In means for binding the leaf content of a book or the like within its cover, wherein the leaves are carried by a spiral element to provide a spiral binder unit adapted for mounting within the cover, and incombination, a cover having a backing plate secured thereto internally of the back zone of the cover, said plate being curved in cross-section and having a pair of spaced apart raised loops in each of the end zones of the-plate, each loop being adapted to project individually into the space between a pair of ad jacent convolutions of the spiral element positioned in the vicinity of the loop position, and a key formation for and individual to each pair of loops, each formation'including a planar zone of greater length than the overall spacing of a pair of loops and being adapted to be bodily positioned inside the pair of loops and interposed between such loops and the spiral convolutions present within the length zone of the formation, each key formation having a pair of tongues in spaced relation with their ends facing each other, the distance spacing of the tongues being at least equal to the distance between the remote edges of the pair of loops, whereby the key formation may be inserted from the end zone of the backing plate with the advance tongue passed through both loops of the pair by the tongue yielding and with the trailing tongue serving to limit the length of inserting movement, the advance tongue resuming its normal condition after its passage through the loops to thereby prevent accidental withdrawal of the key formation through contact of the advance tongue with the remote edge of the second loop of the pair. I

2. Means as in claim 1 characterized in that the planar zone, of the key formation is of material width to thereby provide a pair of spaced contacts between the zone and each of the con volutionswithin the length of the zone through the chordal effect provided by the planar face of the zone and with the contacts active to anchor the end zone of the spiral element.

3. Means as in claim 2 characterized in that the axial length of the spiral element is materially greater than the combined lengths of the pair of key formations to provide an unkeyed spiral zone intermediate the keyed zones, the similar anchoringof the keyed .end zones of the spiral element serving to maintain the intermediate unkeyed zone of the element axially alined.

with the keyed end zones.

4. Means as in claim 1 characterized in that each key formation includes a laterally extending flange positioned at the outer end of the planar zone with the flange of substantially circular contour, said flange being dimensioned to extend over the innermargins of the unit leaves and to thereby extend in overlying relation to the adjacent end of the spiral element, whereby the endzones of the unitmounting will be substantiallyclosed by the positioned flanges of the pair of key formations.

. .j SUMNER W. DOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patentr 

